Colors of the Soul
by Laughing Sparrows
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki, a boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders and dreams that seem impossible. The want to be respected and accepted by those who see nothing but a monster, runs deep in Naruto's heart. With a promise hardly remembered and the gift to see the Soul's colors, Naruto Uzumaki chases his dream of being Hokage and uses his ability to protect those he loves.
1. Chapter 1 - A Promise Made

Chapter I - A Promise Made

A young boy with spiky blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes sat alone on a swing under the tree just outside the academy. He had been scolded again and people looked at him as if he was a monster as if he had killed their loved ones. The boy kicked the dirt below him in anger and frustration. He had no idea why everyone hated him, why they looked at him with disdain in their cold eyes.

'I'll show them.' The whiskered boy thought. 'I'll be Hokage someday and then they'll have to look at me with respect. They'll stop ignoring me.' His eyes narrowed as he glared at the Stone Faces of the Hokage.

He held up his fist at them, "I'll be Hokage, Believe it!" he declared with determination.

Without another word, the spiky-haired boy walked away from the swing and academy. He was headed toward the forest, a place an inexperienced and young child should not go alone. The forest was filled with animals that could easily swallow the child whole. He wandered around aimlessly, trying to find something that would help let out these chaotic emotions he held.

A howl resonated through the forest. It was hurtful to the ears but there was something melodic about it at the same time. The ground shook beneath the boy's feet. Fear began to build in him, he had no clue as to what creature could make the ground shake like that. With kunai in hand, he took a defensive stance. A giant wolf stepped out from the trees and stood in front of the child. The boy trembled but held his ground, staring the wolf in the eyes.

"Why have you come here, little pup?" The wolf tilted its head.

Its fur was an apple-ish color and its eyes were deep green, quite strange for a wolf. The creature lowered its massive head to the boy's level, "What is your name, little pup?" It asked.

The boy looked at the wolf with a mixture of fear and awe. This creature was massive, it almost dwarfed the trees.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Believe it." He kept his voice from trembling.

The wolf chuckled, "Little pup Naruto. A name I shall remember."

Naruto lowered his kunai, he didn't feel like he was in danger with this creature. In fact, he felt rather safe with it. His feelings of fear, frustration, and anger seemed to vanish in this wolf's presence. Naruto smiled wide, he quite liked this wolf. He felt he could be himself with her.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked with curiosity.

"I am called many names. I can never remember them all, not even the name I was originally given." She sighed tiredly as she laid down.

Naruto crossed his arms as he took a moment to think about something. His eyes were closed like a fox's. It was an adorable sight to watch for the wolf. With an 'Ah ha' look on his face, Naruto gave the old wolf a foxy grin.

"How 'bout I give you a name?" Naruto exclaimed happily.

The wolf raised an eyebrow at little Naruto before smiling gently.

"What name do you suggest? If it's something ugly, I might eat you." the she-wolf joked.

Naruto's eyes widened, he certainly didn't want to be eaten. He had a whole life ahead of him as far as he was concerned. He thought about what name to give the wolf. There were so many to pick from.

"I'll call you, Chouko." Naruto beamed.

The wolf had been named and for the name's sake, a butterfly-shaped spot appeared on the wolf's chest.

"That's a lovely name, Naruto." Chouko smiled.

"Naruto… would you grant me a favor?" Chouko asked with a hesitant pause.

Naruto looked up at the giant wolf, curiosity evident in his eyes. With a small nod, Naruto encouraged Chouko to continue.

"Will you accept my gift, the gift of my eyes? I'm getting on in age and my own sight is dwindling. It's only a matter of time before my eyes are no longer able to see and my soul moves on." Chouko barked.

Naruto's blue eyes widened at her request. Even though he had just met Chouko, he felt like he had known the wolf his entire life. His heart felt like breaking at the thought of losing Chouko. The child's eyes started to tear up, he ran up to the wolf and hugged her. Chouko's fur was soft, like a pillow made of clouds.

"Naruto, will you accept my gift and grant me this favor?" the wolf asked.

Naruto nodded his head, "I will. I accept your eyes." he sniffled.

Naruto let go of Chouko and took a step back. He looked up at the giant apple colored wolf. They seemed to hold an unspoken conversation with each other. Blue eyes met with green as Chouko lifted her head and gently touched Naruto. A flash of warm light engulfed the two for a good minute. In the now quiet forest, laid a sleeping Naruto with his eyes changed forever.


	2. Chapter 2 - A World of Colors

_**Chapter II - A World of Colors**_

Birds chirped loudly outside the small hospital room. The sun gently showering the room in its rays of warm light. Naruto laid sleeping on the soft bed by the window. He looked peaceful just lying there with the sun's light softly cascading around him. Naruto's blonde hair was soft and seemed to glow in the warm light. His whisker marks shifting with his cheeks as he moved. Naruto slowly opened his ocean blue eyes. His face scrunched up in confusion as he took in his surroundings. The boy was unable to remember anything of the past day or so. Thousands of questions buzzed around his tiny mind.

Just as he turned his head to the door, a nurse walked into the spacious room. She had a clipboard with a rather large stack of papers on it. Naruto's eyes widened in awe and confusion. The nurse was glowing in several colors, each color seemed to shift about her. As if the glowing colors were fighting for dominance. Naruto was mesmerized by the sight so much that he couldn't pull his eyes away.

"Mr. Uzumaki?" The nurse's feminine voice seemed far away and muddled to Naruto's ears, like he wasn't actually in the room.

"Hello? Mr. Uzumaki?" The nurse called again.

Naruto blinked his eyes at her before he was able to understand what she was saying. The spiky blonde seemed to be in a daze. The nurse was no longer glowing multiple colors but as soon as he looked her in the eyes, he had to stop himself from growling. They were the same cold eyes as all the other villagers, just a bit softer but still cold.

"Y-yes?" Naruto answered hesitantly.

"Want to tell me why you were found sleeping in the forest?" She asked in a professional tone.

Naruto tilted his head slightly in thought, before shaking his head.

"No, I don't remember anything after leaving the Academy for the day." Naruto had sat up and crossed his arms.

A look of realization crossed his face for a brief moment. He looked up at the nurse with a grin that rivaled the sun.

"I do remember a promise I made to someone named Chouko." He announced.

For some reason the name Chouko brought tears to his eyes. Naruto couldn't remember why but he held that name and promise close to his little heart. The nurse nodded before getting up and leaving. Not less than a minute later an elderly man dressed in the robes of the hokage and elders of the village. He also wore the red Kage hat. The man was short and had the wrinkles of age on his face. His dark eyes smiled at Naruto, they held a warmth that the eyes of the villagers did not have.

"How are you feeling, Naruto?" The old man's voice had a grandfatherly feel too it.

With a smile that split his face in two, Naruto answered, "Better than ever! Believe it!"

Naruto blinked a couple of times at the man. The old man was glowing too. Unbeknownst to Naruto, his eyes had changed to that of a beast's and had the same vibrant green color as Chouko's. Naruto blinked again and the glow was gone as well as his eyes being deep ocean blue again. The old man had a surprised look on his face. In the last minute, he had seen Naruto's eyes change, from blue to beastly green back to blue.

Naruto tilted his head a little, "What's with that face, Old Man?"

The man shook his head and chuckled, "Naruto, how many times have told you not to call me old man?"

Naruto pouted, "It's easier to remember than Hiruzen or Sarutobi or even Hokage." He huffed.

"Easier to pronounce too." the boy added as an afterthought.

Hiruzen chuckled at Naruto, he always made the aging Hokage's day just a bit brighter. Specially when it gave him an excuse to skip out on finishing paperwork. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of the bane of his existence growing in number. His shook those thoughts away as he focused his attention on the energetic blonde in front of him.

"Tell me, Naruto, who is Chouko?" the old Hokage asked in a curious voice.

There was a flicker of sadness in Naruto's eyes before he scrunched his face up as if he was thinking hard about something.

"Don't know, I just know I made promise and I'm gonna keep it." He announced proudly.

"And what was the promise you made?" Hiruzen asked with a gently smile on his aged face.

Naruto smiled like the sun on a clear summer's day, "To show her the world with my eyes and to protect those I care for with all my heart! To achieve my dreams and always stay loyal to those I call family." He cheered.

It was long promise but it was never in him to go back on his word. As long as Naruto lived, he would never break a promise for that was his ninja way.


	3. Author's Letter

_Dear Readers,_

 _I hope you all have enjoyed this fanfiction of mine. It's the first time I've ever written a fanfiction and I don't know if I can capture the canon characters without making them super OOC. I tend to make them nothing like the characters are and so I never wrote using someone else's characters. But I've tried my best to keep the characters as they were with a bit of my own style, and not all the words will be exactly the same as the anime/manga. I'm rambling again, I just wanted to give thanks to all those who have read my story and given me some feedback. My inspiration for writing sort of comes and goes as it wishes, kind of like a cat. I also have a bad habit of starting something and never finishing it. This fanfiction will be a bit slow going because I am new to this type of writing. I love to write stories for others to read, to create worlds for others to adventure to, to create characters for others to either hate or fall in love with. That is my true passion, the art of spinning stories, worlds for others to journey to in a span of a few hours or minutes.  
_

 _I mostly write fantasy stories and poems. In fact, I've written and completed more poems than stories. But enough about me, I write this letter, one of many, to show my appreciation to my readers and tell you that I won't update often as you may have noticed. Just because I disappear for long periods of time, does not mean I have dropped this story. Please continue to read it and give me some positive feedback, I can take criticism but if you don't tell me why you hate the story, I can't improve upon it._

 _Your Lovely Author,  
_ _~Laughing Sparrows~_


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